Altruistic
by Mei
Summary: A regular night at the EMS Station ^^ Focused on Brooke Lanier. Twelve and a lot of weight on her shoulders. ^^ Sister bonding too...please read!


My first story ever ^^ Nothing belongs to me.  
  
Altruistic  
by Mei  
  
Brooke Lanier bent over the mountain of paperwork, trying to balance her time between English homework and her EMS duties. Since she hadn't focused in Mr. Donner's class that morning, the unusual vocabulary in the new book would not register in her mind. Tossing the assigned novel onto the nearest sofa, she stared at a certain vague document, searching for a name to file the paper under. When it was apparent that no name had been noted, Brooke let out an exasperated sigh. The only way to find out who fainted from anemia at 7:00 would be to wait for Val and the others to come back.  
  
Alex shuffled down the hallway, his sandy brown coat in his hand. Having just had another battle with his assistant earlier that evening, he wanted nothing more than to fall into a deep sleep. His mind could not block out her ringing, accusing voice from his memory.  
  
"All I want is a breather," he mumbled while he thrust his hands into his pockets. Before he stepped out the door, however, he briefly looked over his shoulder at the studious girl writing away. "I'm leaving now, Brooke, take care."  
  
"Rough day, huh?"  
  
"I've had better." He smiled thinly. "What with all the meetings today, bills to pay, wild weather..."  
  
"Let's not forget the flirting..."  
  
"Flirting?!?!" Undecided on whether to lash out or ignore it, Alex chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Brooke."  
  
"Count on..." she abruptly yawned, "it."  
  
The weary blond gently pushed the door back on his way out, making sure it latched behind him. Before he sped away in his automobile, he sat back and wondered what he would do without Brooke and her organization skills with all the medical files. "She's capable, but I remember being twelve. It's difficult going through all that even without the responsibility of Emergency Medical Services." He shook his head and pulled away.  
  
"He'll come around," Brooke giggled, always the matchmaker. She piled the files she had finished into the cabinet and struggled to concentrate on the stack of work she had left.   
  
She tucked her dirty blond hair behind her ear, deep in thought about the morning after. Two tests in history and science, a quiz in math, and of course, a discussion on the novel supposed to be finished today. Brooke rubbed her eyes and suppressed a yawn. Her throat was dry and parched, so she sprinted to the soda machine for a remedy.   
  
The squad was out later than usual. Maybe the latest call actually had been an emergency.  
  
In answer to her worries, the foursome bounded in, laughing.   
  
"Hey guys, what happened?" Jamie whirled around, a chuckle escaping her lips. "Oh, this mother thought her six year old had run away, and worked herself up into a frenzy over nothing."  
  
Val smiled briefly. "I guess it wasn't that funny, seeing as how she really was scared. But the thing is that he was hiding in a cabinet, covered in marshmallows and chocolate syrup..."  
  
Hank continued, "Which shows how kids can't live without -some- sugar. The mother had ransacked the house the night before, taking away anything that held...."   
  
"Calories!!!" They all chorused. Hank said, "In her words, anyway. Heh, the kid's got a rebellious streak."  
  
"Takes after Jamie and knows it!" Tyler exclaimed, pointing to the chocolate stripes on Jamie's shirt.  
  
"Uh-huh. Val, could you help me with this?" Brooke inquired, holding up the document without a name.   
  
"More work? Ugh, no way...I'm up for a sugar fest!" "Second you on that."  
  
"I'll see you later, Val," Tyler murmured, holding her hand for a moment.  
  
Val nodded slowly, thin strands of blond hair over her eyes, all serving to hide the tint of crimson her cheeks turned. Brooke couldn't help noticing the dazed smile on her sister's face, but was way too tired to even ask. Tyler waved to Brooke, then turned to join Jamie and Hank. As soon as his footsteps had died away, Val sat next to Brooke on the station's sofa as she untied her laces and kicked off her shoes. "Sure, Brooke, what can I do?"  
  
Brooke handed her the paper expectantly. Val nodded, and let her eyes wander to the book. "Are you done with your English homework?"  
  
"Not really, but almost." Brooke said as she reached for the book and flipped to the end. "Before you fill the blanks, can you tell me what altruistic means?"  
  
"Altruistic? Hm, I think it means selfless, willing to help others no matter what." Val examined the paper in her hands closely, grimly remembering the victim of the incident. The mother had screamed her head off, wailing as loud as any siren, but at least the situation wasn't serious. She grabbed a pen and wrote.  
  
Brooke grinned, a twinkle in her eyes. "Altruistic...I guess I should've known. I've got a sister who fits that description."  
  
Val finished scribbling and looked up, a genuine smile on her face. "Oh, yeah? I've got one too."  
  
^^  
My first complete fic. =) Please tell me if you liked it, even just a little!   
  
Mei   
  
P.S. Did anyone see the ad for the next Iah ep? Catie's head leaning on Jamie's shoulder! So cute! ^^ Ah, I'm just a total J/C fan.  



End file.
